Action Mazes and technology reflection

AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) is a program that is designed to prepare students for college.  Many students in my class struggle with the idea of critical thinking, these students do not really think “outside the box” which causes some difficulty when they are entering the world after high school.  With this in mind I chose a lesson centered on implementing technology to increase the skill of critical thinking. The goal of the lesson was to increase students’ critical thinking through the use of action mazes and blogs.  Students will participate in a variety of action mazes (action mazes are best described as choose your own adventure) the student is presented a situation and chooses between 2 options, each chose leads to another situation which has its own set of options.  They proceed through this until they get to the final result.  These cause the students to think outside of their comfort zone and deepen their though process.  This helps develop their thought processes and become better prepared for the world after graduation.  After completing the action mazes, students will write reflection blogs that are posted to their Gaggle account (a program through our school for students that is similar to Angel).  Each reflection blog will have a series of questions for the students to answer.

I was curious to observe and discover what using a variety of technology would do for the student’s learning.  The technology I had chosen to use was mainly the iPad; therefore, I incorporated a variety of apps into the lesson.  Gaggle was the central app utilized.  Gaggle is an online tool that our school district uses that allows the students to have blogs in a safe and monitored environment. Using this app, the students were able to blog about their experience and create a record of their reflections.

While implementing the lesson there were some changes that were made.  These changes were due to various reasons; such as technology issues and students writing skills.  One of the changes made was the students using the Gaggle app in place of the Gaggle site.  Since Gaggle did not have a mobile version of their website for the students to access we had to install the app on all the school owned iPads as well as the student owned devices. 

The implementation of this lesson was very interesting.  The group of students that participated in this lesson were my AVID II students.  These students are sophomores who are college bound and come from lower income or minority families. The students were actively engaged in the action mazes and posted multiple responses/reflections to the action mazes on their blogs.  What I found most exciting was student engagement and excitement.  Each student participated in a different action maze, and I found the students were sharing their reflections and many wanted to do multiple mazes.  This resulted in the students writing multiple reflections for multiple action mazes, thereby increasing their thinking in various situations.

Before teaching this lesson I had some underlying assumptions about what the students would do and what they already knew.  One major assumption was that students would already know how to use the iPad.  This was not the case.  I did not take into account the fact that since a majority of the students come from lower income families they do not have access to the same technology I am using to teach.  As a result of this assumption I had to spend the first part of the class teaching the students basic operations for iPad use.  This also caused a constraint in understanding because tasks I had planned for the students to start with needed extra explanation, this in turn slowed down the overall pace of the lesson.

This lesson had some constructivism elements in it because the students would work individually to complete each action maze.  They were not asking each other what they thought but rather thinking for themselves. This way they were making sense of the world around them.  This lead into the lesson as being a way to enhance current learning the students are doing.  This is the 2^nd year that I have these particular AVID students and developing critical thinking skills is something we have been working of since they were freshman.

While implementing this lesson the various learners were taken into account, each student was only required to finish one maze and one reflection.  They were not told this so that each would work at a pace that was appropriate for them.  Slower learners worked at a slower pace and quicker learners at a quicker pace.  It was whatever suited their learning style.  Analyzing the student learning is a key factor for another teacher trying to implement this lesson.  One thing also to be aware of is how to work the iPad, Gaggle and action mazes.

Most of this lesson is student driven. Using knowledge I had of Vygotsky’s learning theories I wanted to create a lesson that would allow students to work in their zone of proximal development. They are the ones who are discovering the critical thinking skills and the teacher’s role is more of facilitator.  Reflective blogging was used as a form of accountability for their work.  By using a blog, the other students and I could access the blog quickly and leave comments.  Through this students receive instant feedback and also make it easier for the class to have a discussion because it provides an interactive venue where everybody had access to their classmates’ thoughts.

Technology had a major role in my lesson, without technology it would have been difficult to complete the action mazes.   The advantages of having the technology could also be found in access to blogs.  Instead of the students writing their reflections in journals we turned the journal into an online document and caused the students to read multiple people’s reflections at their own pace.  The student’s did not have to wait for someone to finish before they read, they could just read the next reflection and comment. One expectation I had in regards to using technology was that the students were going to be distracted.  This was the first time that I was letting them use the iPads and I was worried they were going to take photos or do other things that would be off task.  This did happen but only for the first 5 minutes.  After the novelty of the device wore off they began to focus on their work. Before we began working many of the questions were simple questions of how to use the iPad.  Since many did come from lower income families who did not have access to technology, they were confused on what to do.  What really amazed me was the few students who did know how to use it, really stepped up and while I was helping one student, they would help another without me having to ask them to. 

By completing the action maze digitally there was no room for them to cheat and skip a few pages ahead to see what the result was or they could not go back and change a choice that did not work out.  They really had to think about through the options and which choice to pick.  While reading the reflections I could tell many students were applying more critical thinking to a variety of scenarios and thinking through all the options, thus becoming deeper thinkers and learning to think past their current situation and push past their comfort levels.

Well after some technical difficulty, I was finally able to upload my CEP 800 Digital Storyboard. For my storyboard, I decided to tell the story of the AVID tutorial. It is a great strategy that I use with my students to help them gain a better understanding of the material in their core classes. By completing these tutorials in class, the students learn better study habits and really take control of their own education.

First 800 Post!

This is my first post for CEP 800.  For this assignment, I conducted a series of audio interviews to clear up some misconceptions about the subject I teach.  The reason I picked the entire subject of AVID is because the program is fairly new to my school.  For this reason, there are many misconceptions about what exactly is AVID.  For this interview, I spoke to a current student, Brianna.  She is a Freshman this year and is new to the program.  I also spoke with Jeff Taylor, the Academic Coach and AVID director for my school.  I chose these two people to clear up some misconceptions pertaining to AVID.

Final Wicked Project

WOW! 8 weeks has flown by and here I am now presenting my final presentation for my Wicked Project.  What an interesting lesson/unit it was to teach.  I learned a few things about ways to get studetns to respond and even sparked some interesting adaptations to make for next time.  Overall the students had a great reaction to the lesson and therefore were able to learn something but I still wanted them to learn more.  What inspired me to choose this topic was the fact that students are using social media sites as the new bathroom wall, so to speak.  They are writing things and stirring up problems without the thought that this is slander and can hurt people.  To solve this problem, the unit I created had the students deductively researching the answers as well as the effects of negative social media.  We used role playing to showcase scenarios that students can learn the appropriate way (not RT something) to respond. One thing that was added late to the unit was the fact that I had such great support from my principle.  She was very willing to sit down with me and share many of her experiences with kids and negative digital citizenship.  What I hope to do next time is similar to the scared straight program.  Instead of having criminals come in and speak to the kids about bad decisions, have students who have lost scholarships or been expelled due to negative social media come in and explain their first hand accounts.  This is something that, regardless of the topic, students relate to.  You can tell someone something but until they hear a first had account, it is almost like they think "that will never happen to me".  Overall, I really enjoyed creating this project.  It really made me consider options that I hadn't.  I had always seen this problem but now I can see a solution to help me in the future deal with this.  Teaching kids before they fall victim to the poor choices the rapid expansion of technology has.

PLP

Learning is an everyday occurrence in life.  When I began my courses this summer, we were assigned a Professional Learning Plan to create.  While creating this plan I established a few goals for myself.  Through the completion the certificate program at MSU, I have completed a few of those goals but also established a few more.

One goal that I saw myself completing was learning more than just Smart Boards and technology I am currently using in the classroom.  I was able to go into the school year with excitement about technology and seeing that it isn't just what I currently have in my room.  I will be able to incorporate blogs and Google Docs into my daily lessons that will allow students to create portfolios and long assignments that can be worked on from course to course.  This is one thing that I have added into my plan: the idea to carry assignments from year to year. I will be able to achieve this because I will have my students for 4 years.

A second goal that I had was really using Twitter.  The Academy Director and my school district both use Twitter but I never saw it as anything more than "this is what I did today".  After this course I really see the impact of Twitter.  Sending substantial Tweets is beneficial and useful in education and the classroom. I can convey messages to my students and parents without the fear of students having my personal cell phone number.  I was always unsure of how to do this without giving my phone number and this course showed me that it was a possibility.

While not 100% sure of how to use it but with a desire to learn about it more, I have created a podcast. This was a beneficial lesson because I learned a great deal about podcasting.  The idea I would like to pursue with podcasting is how can I use this to convey thoughts and messages to my students.  I think it would be interesting if my AVID students created a podcast where they are each responsible for one cast.  This could range from topics to make it more of a AVID/school wide talk show.  They could have guests and topics relating to life at the school.  I'm not sure how I would convey this idea and actually fulfill it but it is something that was sparked in my mind following the completion of the lesson during this course. 

To help accomplish these goals I plan to involve peers as well as continue on into the Master's program at Michigan State.  This will help me to learn more about different technologies that I can convey to my students and peers.  After completing these CEP courses I have a desire to finish strong and finish as many technology courses as I can .

Get up and going on Twitter

Twitter is something that, as my students say, is the new Facebook.  Being able to use Twitter effectively or just simply use Twitter is a challenge.  For my groups tutorial creation we decided to teach about the use of Twitter.  This is something that every teacher will have to become familiar with in the future since many students are beginning to use it. Having a Twitter account is not only a one way communication but rather it is a tool that can be used to communicate with classes as a whole.  While developing this tutorial I learned a lot not only about Twitter but conferencing tools.  One such tool was Google Hangouts.  This was something I had only dabbled with but with the support and help of my fellow group members I learned about the amazing elements of the Hangout.  I also learned about creating lists with Twitters.  This is something I think would be useful to transfer to my class. Having students grouped into Twitter lists would allow me to send specific messages to classes rather than as a whole.

If I were to do this project again, I would focus more on a specific element of Twitter.  Rather than simply of starting a Twitter account, I would focus on the use of Twitter in the classroom.  This is something I feel is beneficial to educators using Twitter because it is something that can be beneficial in a classroom setting.

Mobile Learning Lab

Using technology in the classroom has changed greatly from when I was in high school.  Even since the early to mid 2000s so much has changed in such a short time.  I can remember when I had my first cell phone and we never even thought of being able to text.  Now I am learning about how text messages can be used in the classroom.  One way I can do this is by using a texting poll service - Poll Everywhere.  This was a really neat experience.  I began by asking the simple question "should students be able to use their cell phones in the classroom as part of the daily lesson?" Since it was summer vacation when I tried this, I sent out the request to some of my friends, this gave my results both a parent and student response.  One thing that surprised me was the hesitation on the students part to respond.  It was almost like they were unsure of the system.  One of my friend's daughter's even asked me if this was a trap?  I had to laugh but it showed me that even though students may want to always use their cell phones, they are unsure of how to use it in a educational way. Previously the only way they have been able to use their cell phones in school were when we did scavanger huts around the school and they needed documentation.  I believe that I will be able to use this service in the classroom however, I don't think I will be using it during the school day.  I could use this by having the students view the question at home at text their response by a certain time.  This could help us generate what we will discuss the next day or something along those lines.

Another tool that I find interesting and would like to try is using the Flip Camera in the classroom.  I know my students love to film and make videos so by having the flip cameras, I can have them create simple videos that can be used to show their creativitiy and is something different than the average shcool play.  I am also interested to try e-readers in the classroom.  Gaining access to an iPad lab next year, this is something that I can actually achieve.  Our school also has adopted a new textbook for high school math and there is a possiblity that this textbook is available in e-book.  If so, it will be interesting to see how having the book in digital form changes the students learning.  If this will improve the students understanding since we are now entering such a digital age.  A challenge from having the textbook digital is that there are some features you get from a book that you don't have while looking at a screen. 

PART D - Findings and Implications

Looking back at everything that I have done while working on my Wicked Project, I find that a few things didn't go as planned.  Since it was over summer that I began trying to implement this it was a bit difficult to find an appropriate audience for me to use.  Because of this I wasn't able to 100% implement the project the way I planned.  I had to pick and choose the settings.  For example, while working with a few of my students during summer school I would poll them and try to implement as many aspects of the project as I could.  A plus side of trying to implement the project with a small group of students during the summer is that I was able to get all the small "bugs" and glitches out of the project before going on a larger scale with all 150 of my students.  This allowed me to really see what worked and what the students could relate too. 

To show the success of addressing the problem of responsible social media and digital citizenship was a bit of a challenge because I wasn't sure at the very beginning how to do this.  After completing the project, I decided on a new way of evaluation.  I have drawn from my experience in actually creating the project: a blog tracking progress.  By having the students document their thoughts and reflections while completing the project (over the entire year) we can see really the progression and the understanding of digital citizenship.  By doing this exact thing for this project I have personally experienced the positive effects of blogging.  This is a change to how I evaluated my small group of students.  Originally for the assessment, I was having the students just take simple pre and post test.  This really wasn't an acurate evaluation of the students learning and growth because they were simple questions that did not require the students to truly evaluate their learning and see how important the content was.

One thing I learned that I shouldn't be scared to try and implement technology, such as blogs and twitter or something like that, or overly commit to using too many forms of technology.  This was something that I began with.  By having too much technology and trying to really incorporate technology I began to get frustrated myself.  Really the lesson is, take it slow. I was afraid that I wasn't going to be able to use all the new technology I discoveredin this course and wanted to make sure that I was using it.  Instead of thinking that I had all year and multiple lessons to use different forms of technology.  I had to tone myself back from using too much, realizing that I have more opportunities to come.  All these things will be put into effect when I begin implementing this in my classroom.  One thing I will have to do is really spread out the lesson.  Instead of doing this in a few weeks, I have all year and can really drill in the importance with a variety things.  I would keep most of the implementation the same but change the assessment.  I would also try to bring in more aspects of digital citizenship.  What I focused mainly on for this project was the use of Twitter and Facebook but there are so many other aspects of digital citizenship that need to be addressed.  By including the blog reflection, I am showing the students another aspect.  This is something I will have to think about more as time goes on; the ability to incorporate more into the students learning in a sneaky way.

Part C: Implementation

NOTE: I apologize for the messed up recording.  Working on fixing the file and hope to post it tomorrow ASAP.

Well this has been an interesting post! This is now my first Podcast and it was really a learning experience.  It took me a while to figure out how to actually do a Podcast and then time just slipped away from me. Somehow everything fell during the same 2 weeks! Who knew?  With that aside....enjoy.

UPDATE: August 2, 2012.  I have tried something different to try and publish my first podcast on Blogger (and my first podcast in general).  I am really going to have to work on podcasting for the future.  Have a great weekend everybody and enjoy! I have included the file 2 different ways.

PART B - Storyboard and Script

Our group began working on the storyboard for our project.  Before we began we had a Google Hangout to establish what we were hoping to accomplish and what direction we wanted to head in.  When we began discussing, we established that we were trying to make the project to detailed.  So what we ended up doing was breaking down the project into a more manageable tutorial about how to use twitter...just the basics.  This was very helpful because we were able to really nail down what each person was going to do.  To help with the storyboard sketches, we placed screenshots of helpful moments in the twitter process.  While Cindy was able to use the actual Twitter set up for hers, I was able to find some examples of how to retweet or send a DM.  These simple screenshots are now used as a basis for what direction we want our presentation to be.  We also discussed the use of integrating some live elements into the presentation.  For example, we would screencast the actual setting up of a twitter.  This would make the presentation easier to follow.

After we completed our individual parts of the storyboard, we had another hangout discussing the breakdown of the project.  One idea we came up with was to have 2 people work on the creation of the presentation file.  This will allow multiple people to have an input on creative elements that are going into the project.  This now leaves one person to work on the script and actual recording of the presentation.  Once this is done, we can all have an hand in publishing the final product.  We will all be able to proof and provide input for the overall project.  By completing the final screencast this way, everybody has an important role and no one role is more important than the other. This method aslo allows us to each contribute to the final cast and not have one person doing all the work.  The program we have discussed using to capture the screencast is Jing. Jing is something we are all familiar with, so we wouldn't have to learn a new system while completing a major assignment.

PART B - Application of TPACK

Before beginning courses at MSU, I had never heard of TPACK before.  I didn't know there was a name for integrating technology into my lessons.  I was surprised to learn that it was called TPACK.  TPACK stands for Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge and it attempts to identify the knowledge required by me for technology integration into my lessons.  There are three forms on knowledge that are crucial properly using TPACK.  They are Content (TC), Pedagogy (PC), and Technology (TC).   To apply TPACK to my Wicked Project, I have to think about how to incorporate these three knowledge types.


The first one I have to work on incorporating is the TP.  For this project the technology I have chosen is social media and making students responsible digital citizens.  The main area I see this being used in is Twitter and Facebook.  Students today only see these two sites in only one way: as a way for all the fun stuff they do to be posted. But this becomes a problem because the students don't see how these "fun" things will be viewed in the future.  There minds don't see the long term affects of what they do.  This supports the teaching strategies and methods I have chosen because I can use the two sites that cause the most problems and show the students how these two can be used to benefit them.  I will be showing them the educational applications of Twitter and Facebook.


Next I have to consider the TC, specifically how this technology makes the content more intellectually accessible.  To do this, I plan to use the social media sites as teaching tools.  They wouldn't be the only resources.  I plan to incorporate blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites that the students use to relate the material and technology to them.  If I am using something that they already are familiar with, chances are they will be more responsive to it.

The final thing to consider is the PC.  Some instructional strategies that I will use to help the students through this lesson is to use deductive strategies.  I have found that my students tend to remember material as well as get excited about it if they are the ones who discover the answers on their own.  One way to do this is to divide them into groups and have them relay the information they find.  This would be done through Tweets, blog posts and responses. These are just a few of the ways to incorporate TPACK into creating responsible digital citizens.

Group Leadership Project: Part A - Brainstorming

For the Group Leadership Project, our group worked with Google+ Hangout.  It was a useful tool that allowed us to work on our document and see each others changes while communicating with each other.  We didn't have to have multiple screens open or flip back and forth.  It really made it feel like we were all speaking in person.  Another advantage was that Google+ allowed us to record and upload directly to You Tube.  By using You Tube, we can post links to the video as well as have it saved on a site we are familiar with using.  Google+ did have a disadvantage because you had to upgrade your account to Google+.  I found this troublesome  because I wanted to keep my MSU email that already had a Google Docs.  This wasn't the case so I had to create a new Gmail account to use.  This caused some confusion because when one group member shared the doc, it was either only with my MSU or with Gmail, so I constantly have to remind myself which account I had the file in and to remind myself to share it with the other account.

Web Conference

In today's technology world, communication has become easier.  For this course having to work in groups the need for communication is vital to the success of the group.  To help ensure this my group held a video conference so that we can communicate and see each other.  There are many different options for video conferences.

The first option is using Skype.  While Skype allows multiple people to hold a conference call, it does not allow screencasting (which is a vital part of the assignments given for CEP 812).  There is one way to do this and that would be to use Jing or a similar program.  Personally I didn't think this would be the best option and my group agreed.  So we explored the next option of using Adobe Connect.  For us, this didn't seem like a viable option because nobody in the group had been the one to initiate the conferences as well as record it.  While there is a possibility of recording these, we were just unsure of how it would work.  The decision we made was to host a Google Hangout.  This allowed us to work on the same document (in Google Docs) while we were recording our conference.  While one person worked on the doc we all could see it on our screens being changed.  This was very useful for us to brainstorm and generate ideas because it almost seemed like we were in the same room working on the same project.

By using Google Hangout, our group was able to have a great meeting.  We were able to discuss multiple points of our upcoming project as well as to work out different questions that we had as a group.  It was a very simple tool to use and instantly uploaded itself to YouTube accounts for further access.  One aspect that I really enjoyed about it was the instant recording.  There was no button to remember to push or to stop.  It just started to record and we began working.  One thing I would change is that it was difficult to find the YouTube link.  I had to e-mail a group member for the link because I couldn't find the link in my account.

This is something that can be used in my classroom by allowing students to communicate with other students in other locations.  Similar to pen pals.  It becomes a digital pen pal making it easier for students to share their ideas and thoughts.

http://youtu.be/w6nwes8jkjE

PART A - Description of Need or Opportunity

The nature of school and student to student interaction has changed with increasing technology.  With this idea, one of the most prevalent school problems, bullying, has changed.  It is no longer someone saying something to someone in the bathroom but they send a Twitter or post something on Facebook for the whole world to see. This has caused over 25 percent of teens have to be bullied repeatedly through their cell phones or the Internet and well over half do not tell their parents or teachers when cyber bullying occurs.  Since this is all done on social networking sites and through the internet, students feel that it is not the same as bullying so it’s ok for them to post these things.  For my Wicked Project, I am addressing this misconception as well as teaching the students about responsible social networking. My students are 9 – 12 grade AVID students.  By teaching them to be responsible in their social networking, it will help them in the future because then they don’t have to be afraid of what they did in the past coming back to haunt them.  This is a common problem that this generation will have to face.  Things that are funny or cute now, may not be when a scholarship is on the line or even a job. 

To teach this lesson, the students will be learning responsible social networking using the exact programs that cause the problems.  Since Twitter is one of the main sources of cyberbullying, students will participate in discussions using the Academy Twitter and AVID Twitter accounts.  If a student’s parent disapproves on their student using Twitter an alternative assignment will be used for that particular student.  To assess student learning, they will create a PSA (Public Service Announcement) to be shared with the entire school during advisory period.  To create these PSA’s students will use the class set of iPads to film and edit the videos. 

This tool will be used early in the year.  As AVID students they need to be aware of how to responsibly use the internet because colleges and scholarship agencies sometimes look at their social networking to see really what kind of person they are.

Resources that may help guide me in this project are things relating to cyber bullying.  Also, it would be helpful to research ways to communicate the material to students.  Using sources like Jing to screencast and become better at using a blog to communicate ideas and create a forum for students to discuss. The students will be using Diigo to create a digital works cited list to keep resources in one place. To begin their research the students will be given the following sites to start off:  Cyber Bullying Statistics, Cyber Bully Alert, i-SAFE.  But knowing the statistics aren’t enough They will also be given the National Crime Prevention Website and Stop Cyber Bullying to find tactics and strategies to end cyber bullying.

During this course, I will be conducting research and organizing my plan for how I will implement this into my classroom.  Since it will not be something that happens in one lesson, there will be multiple lessons that take place during the school year.  I will be able to use various activities that the students enjoy so that they can have a constant reminder of the principles I am trying to convey.  Also, the new technology available to my students will be able to be brought into the lessons.  One way to incorporate discussion is through the use of a Blog.  For this class, I will be documenting my progress on a class blog but when implemented in the classroom there will be a separate blog for students to post and discuss the relevant material, their progress and discoveries. I would know I was successful by the impact on the students.  By seeing the change in their personalities as well as the way they conduct themselves.  This will be done through the use of pre and post quizzes.  The quizzes will be the same both times to see how the students have learned.  The quizzes will be compared by the students for them to analyze themselves what they have learned.

Personal Intro Video

Check out my first screencast!

http://www.screencast.com/t/qrko79ath